noun
ton
TUN/tʌn/
A unit of weight equal to two thousand US pounds.
The scale shows that the stone blocks weigh one US ton.
Etymology
The barrel word shifted from a container to the quantity needed to fill it, then to a weight measure. In United States usage, that measure is standardized at 2,000 pounds.
In context
if a shipping line paid three pounds per ton for a one thousand ton coal barge the supplier would surely accept the full three thousand pounds
More examples
- This car weighs nearly two tons.
- The supplier sells coal by the ton.
- A half ton of sand weighs 1,000 pounds.
Forms
ton · tons
tonnage noun — The weight of cargo measured in tons.
Similar words
- short ton
- Explicitly identifies the American unit of exactly 2,000 pounds.